Why Do I Suck At Multiplayer FPS Games?

Pez D Spencer

Banned
Nov 22, 2005
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I've been pretty hardcore into FPS games for about 4 or 5 years now and I consider myself pretty good at them. Well, pretty good in singleplayer mode. FWIW, I never even really played on easy difficutly in singleplayer FPS games even when I was a novice. And these days I usually play on hard difficulty over normal because normal just doesn't seem to be much of a challenge most of the time.

The thing is that I've tried playing multiplayer FPS games online and honestly it's pretty lame IMO. Even though I might kick major ass in a game when in singleplayer, in multiplayer I usually get killed as soon as I'm spawned and I just don't see the fun in it. I've tried more times than I have fingers and toes and usually after about 10 minutes I get bored of the whole thing. Spawn, run around for a minute or two, get a kill if I'm lucky, get killed myself, respawn, do it all over...

I've tried deathmatches and team based ones like CTF, but in the end I still don't last more than a minute or two. When the Quake Wars demo came out a few weeks ago I gave that a shot as well but again I ended up as nothing more than the recipient of a major fragfest.

So why do you think I suck at MP so much? Whats a good MP FPS that a "noob" like me might actually be good at? (I've probably already tried most of them though).
 

potato28

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2005
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Maybe try a team based tactical shooter(cs?), where you spawn and the other team can't just randomly pop out of air and shoot you before you see him? Or maybe you need to play a little and get good?
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
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Human opponents are capable of doing things you wouldn't expect. Computer bots have scripted AI that tells them how to react, so once you figure out how they move around, you can kill them easy. It's no where near as easy predicting how a human opponent will react. That's my 2 cents.
 

Markbnj

Elite Member <br>Moderator Emeritus
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Sep 16, 2005
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They never programmed the bunny hop and dolphin dive into the AI, because it just didn't make sense to the programmers that anyone would actually act that way in battle. Silly programmers.
 

nova2

Senior member
Feb 3, 2006
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i wouldn't worry too much about it dude, unless you don't seem to be improving at all.

maybe try some Fear MP (get FEAR Combat, it is the free multiplayer part of FEAR)
and team fortress 2

regarding FEAR MP - i suggest avoiding playing on small maps (like 'high tech') with many players unless such things dont bother you.
 

Running

Senior member
May 30, 2006
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an important thing is to know your maps, the more you play a map the more things you will pick up on, like knowing where to go to pick someone off. or good places to camp
 

irishScott

Lifer
Oct 10, 2006
21,568
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Try America's Army. It takes a while to get used to the weapons (they're programmed to be realistic, so your aim will wobble with your simulated breathing and whatnot), and you WILL get owned initially, but you're guaranteed not to die the moment you spawn (it's team based, and the rounds are typically around 5 min. You spawn once with your team, and if you die, you're dead until the end of the round), and if you try to just run around and be the shitz even the noobs will kill you with ease. It takes a hell of a lot more thought/teamwork than most MP FPSs IMO.

http://www.americasarmy.com
(yes, I know it's a huge download)
 

ConstipatedVigilante

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2006
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You might like Red Orchestra. Think Day of Defeat, except with much bigger maps, vehicles (tanks, half-tracks, armored cars), and Russians vs. Germans. It's very realistic, so 1 shot usually kills. But skill is much more of a factor than twitch. Being able to pick out enemies at a distance and put that couple of pixels in your crosshair, or being able to sneak up over a long distance and fill them with holes is very fun. And when you're under fire, so is everyone else on your team - people work together.
 

Sniper82

Lifer
Feb 6, 2000
16,517
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I would consider myself good at online games and usually always last more than a min or two but no matter how good you are online if your playing on a server with decent players your gonna die alot. Single player you might last for hours before dieing but thats single player for you. Online you have ppl that can come from any direction where single player usually AI only pops out at certain places. Maybe your not bad and your just expecting to much and think one should live for along time before dieing?
 
May 3, 2004
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Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante
You might like Red Orchestra. Think Day of Defeat, except with much bigger maps, vehicles (tanks, half-tracks, armored cars), and Russians vs. Germans. It's very realistic, so 1 shot usually kills. But skill is much more of a factor than twitch. Being able to pick out enemies at a distance and put that couple of pixels in your crosshair, or being able to sneak up over a long distance and fill them with holes is very fun. And when you're under fire, so is everyone else on your team - people work together.

Another vote for Red Orchestra. No bunny hopping here. In fact, no infinite running. Your character can only sprint so far then you are exhausted. No aiming reticule either. You want sights? Then aim down the rilfe iron sights.

Tanks are hard to see out of just like in WWII. So it really does require teamwork and skill. No icons pop up either. So no long distant kills when you can't see players just a red/blue icon. You have to get good at spotting enemy uniforms.

Everything about it is so different from typical FPS shooters. Fantastic change of pace. Highly recommend it.
 

xSkyDrAx

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2003
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It's also going to take you more than 10 minutes to get good at online FPS's. How good you are at single player is no indicator for how good you are at multi-player. Most of the time the most you'd learn from single player that carries over to multi-player is how to aim and shoot, everything else is going to be like starting over from the beginning. Most online matches are going to be pretty fast and furious. You cant exactly take your time like you can in single player so the only thing you can basically do is practice a lot and expect to die a lot.
 

Dethfrumbelo

Golden Member
Nov 16, 2004
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I agree with some of the other posters. Spawn and die fragfests just may not be your thing. ArmA is another 'realistic' shooter with fatigue, iron sights, and weapon shake, but it has too many other problems to recommend.
 

hdeck

Lifer
Sep 26, 2002
14,530
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learn the maps. in case of deathmatch-style gameplay, learn where people/items spawn and learn when items spawn.

and if you give up on a MP game after only 10 minutes then you aren't really trying in the first place.
 

kaioshade

Senior member
Jun 17, 2005
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This is pretty much the reason i stopped playing online. And i played for a hell of a lot longer than 10 minutes. I have logged over 100 hours into unreal 2k4 and well over 30 in the unreal 3 demo. i still get massacred like a pointless noob. training your ass of only to get raped is not fun.
 

apoppin

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
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here is what little i know ... you play SP a LOT and learn to anticipate the Dev's implementation of computer AI ... i usually start on easy and work to where i am comfortable - IF i like the game - even if it means hardcore. So you and i get a lot of practice fragging enemy NPC AI.

Humans are quite unpredictable and many of them have spent years honing their weird styles, moves and combos - it is like getting dumped into a SP game on Hardcore without having got completely comfortable with the moves. You mention you only spend 10 minutes and quit. :p
--here's my suggestion ... play for ten hours - stick it out no-matter-what
---and report back
--it's true ... practice does make ... better

... and if it still doesn't work, try RPG online ... something like HellGate:London might just do it for you ... kinda like a DeusEx online ... maybe not
:confused:
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
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Try playing Team Fortress 2. All of the classes are quite different so you should be able to find something that suits your playing style and that you can get good at.

Plus you can practice with some friendly ATers (see my sig). :)

KT
 

T2k

Golden Member
Feb 24, 2004
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Try UT2k4 in Onslaught (a.k.a. ONS) mode.
I dare to say it's the best balanced online FPS gaming between retarded, mindless DM and TDM games which are utterly boring after 5-10 minutes and idiotically overblown teamwork-centered games like ETQW or BF2 where ad-hoc teams of people living normal life have no chance against group of acne-ridden teens w/o life (a.k.a. 'clans'). Besides this it's also nice that any vehicle or weapon has a match so with enough training you can take down Mantas or Raptors with handweapons. :D)
Watch out for UT3 as well - it's coming with Warfare which said to be an updated ONS mode...! :)
 

Maleficus

Diamond Member
May 2, 2001
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Originally posted by: kaioshade
This is pretty much the reason i stopped playing online. And i played for a hell of a lot longer than 10 minutes. I have logged over 100 hours into unreal 2k4 and well over 30 in the unreal 3 demo. i still get massacred like a pointless noob. training your ass of only to get raped is not fun.

UT2k4 is a DIFFICULT GAME, the learning curve is very high, try 1v1 and go from there, DM means nothing. learn your maps, focus on smooth and fluid movement, aim does not have the be the most important thing, there are several types of players. once you can handle yourself moderately well in 1v1, try some TDM. The thing to understand is a good TDM team (even something as small as 2v2) requires CONSTANT communication, I mean like 30 seconds of not talking total in a 20 minute match. It just takes practice and a little reflection and review, you probably won't be the next Gittz, but you will eventually be able to hold your own.
 

ArmchairAthlete

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2002
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Single player AI isn't AI at all, it's just meant to put up a fun fight and die in an amusing way.

Other people online aren't gonna hold back and are going to kick your arse with years of experience.
 

Maleficus

Diamond Member
May 2, 2001
7,685
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Originally posted by: T2k
Try UT2k4 in Onslaught (a.k.a. ONS) mode.
I dare to say it's the best balanced online FPS gaming between retarded, mindless DM and TDM games which are utterly boring after 5-10 minutes and idiotically overblown teamwork-centered games like ETQW or BF2 where ad-hoc teams of people living normal life have no chance against group of acne-ridden teens w/o life (a.k.a. 'clans'). Besides this it's also nice that any vehicle or weapon has a match so with enough training you can take down Mantas or Raptors with handweapons. :D)
Watch out for UT3 as well - it's coming with Warfare which said to be an updated ONS mode...! :)

No. No no no no no no no no and no

ONS is not balanced at all and is a POS when it comes to competitive gaming.

Teamwork centered games require some practice, but you are perfectly capable of having a life, you just also need to have a working brain to be able to adapt to situations on the fly and a moderate amount of chemistry with your team so you can predict how they will react as well so as to form a cohesive unit and not x random people.

btw I'm 22, have a job, and go to school, yes i'm in a 'clan'